ed this man to visit us. If you had allowed me
time to explain myself, I might have been bold enough to give you a good
reason for the aversion I felt toward your friend. But you would not
wait. You hastily (and most unjustly) accused me of feeling prejudiced
against the miserable creature on account of his deformity. No other
feeling than compassion for deformed persons has ever entered my mind.
I have, indeed, almost a fellow-feeling for them; being that next worst
thing myself to a deformity--a plain woman. I objected to Mr. Dexter
as your guest because he had asked me to be his wife in past days,
and because I had reason to fear that he still regarded me (after my
marriage) with a guilty and a horrible love. Was it not my duty, as a
good wife, to object to his being your guest at Gleninch? And was it not
your duty, as a good husband, to encourage me to say more?

"Well, Mr. Dexter has been your guest for many weeks; and Mr. Dexter has
dared to speak to me again of his love. He has insulted me, and insulted
you, by declaring that _he_ adores me and that _you_ hate me. He has
promised me a life of unalloyed happiness, in a foreign country with my
lover; and he has prophesied for me a life of unendurable misery at home
with my husband.

"Why did I not make my complaint to you, and have this monster dismissed
from the house at once and forever?

"Are you sure you would have believed me if I had complained, and if
your bosom friend had denied all intention of insulting me? I heard you
once say (when you were not aware that I was within hearing) that the
vainest women were always the ugly women. You might have accused _me_ of
vanity. Who knows?

"But I have no desire to shelter myself under this excuse. I am a
jealous, unhappy creature; always doubtful of your affection for me;
always fearing that another woman has got my place in your heart.
Miserrimus Dexter has practiced on this weakness of mine. He has
declared he can prove to me (if I will permit him) that I am, in
your secret heart, an object of loathing to you; that you shrink from
touching me; that you curse the hour when you were foolish enough to
make me your wife. I have struggled as long as I could against the
temptation to let him produce his proofs. It was a terrible temptation
to a woman who was far from feeling sure of the sincerity of your
affection for her; and it has ended in getting the better of my
resistance. I wickedly concealed the disgust whic